Just the facts Orlando edition
by Bob Heyden
Horse of the Year will be announced this weekend on Sunday (Feb. 22) in Orlando, FL.
Let’s dive into a dozen facts looking at past winners, some of this year’s honorees, and some what-ifs surrounding the possible Pacer, Trotter, and Horse of the Year (HOY).
1. It’s been 26 years, the longest gap ever, since anyone repeated as Horse of the Year: Moni Maker (1998-99). That may be in jeopardy if Beau Jangles is named HOY on Sunday. Three other male freshman won the HOY title and all three repeated at 3 with a combined 92.2 per cent of the first-place votes: Bret Hanover (1964-65), Nevele Pride (1967-68), and Niatross (1979-80).
2. If Lexus Kody is crowned Horse of the Year, he will be the first 7-year-old to do so since McWicked did it in 2018.
3. If Chris Ryder, who trained last year’s Horse of the Year Twin B Joe Fresh, repeats with a female HOY with Miki And Minnie, it would be the ninth time a trainer has repeated (Stanley Dancer did it twice). But no trainer has done it back-to-back with a pair of pacing females.
4. Good Time was in the top four in the HOY balloting four-straight years: 1949 (winner), 1950 (third), 1951 (fourth), and 1952 (winner again).
5. With just 10 starts in 2012, Chapter Seven had the fewest ever for a HOY.
6. Bret Hanover (1964-66) and Nevele Pride (1967-69) remain history’s only HOY three-peaters. Bret took down 69.9 per cent of the vote (392 of 561) combined and Nevele Pride followed right on his heels with 61.4 per cent (412.5 of 672).
7. Eight of the first 23 HOY winners had a time trial as their lifetime mark.
8. It’s been a quarter-of-a-century since the HOY had double-digit losses. If Lexus Kody (11 wins in 21 starts) wins the top honor this weekend, he will join Gallo Blue Chip who won in 2000 with 19 wins in 29 starts.
9. Trainer Ron Burke, off his record year, will be prominently featured throughout the evening on Feb. 22. He actually shared his first divisional winner with his father Mickey, Buck I St Pat (2008).
10. Seven of the first eight Horses of the Year did not reach $100G. Good Time was the first to do it in 1952 ($110,299).
11. It’s not how you start but how you finish. Right? Well, for those not in the Lexus Kody camp, they better hope for some widespread amnesia. You see, Lexus Kody made $947,400 in his final six starts. That figure is more than any other older male trotter for the entire 2025 season.
12. Sam Bowie will be in the building on Feb. 22 and presenting Trotter of the Year. The former University of Kentucky center and 11-year NBA veteran is an avid fan and successful owner. Drafted ahead of Michael Jordan in 1984 at No. 2, you simply can’t argue with the top 5 chosen that year with Akeem Olajuwon No. 1, Bowie (2), Jordan (3), Charles Barkley (4), and Sam Perkins (5). That was the 1985 NBA All-Rookie Team.
